Karsas
The Independent Republic of Karsas is the largest country in the world, both in area and population. It is centrally located, and maintains good relationships with most of its neighbours. Geography Location Karsas is a central nation, partly defined by the Fang Mountains. It borders Östergötland to the north east, Azar to the north, Stütgar to the north west, Bantu to the west, Surin to the south, and the Baroncy of Contested States to the south east. It shares approximately half of Lake Gardas with its southern neighbour Surin, and the majority of the Fang Mountains rests within its borders. Raas Lake is contained entirely within Karsas. The Waldorf River flows out of the mountains and into the two lakes. Area Karsas is the largest country in the world. Climate Karsas is a temperate climate, getting to just below freezing during the winter without becoming unbearable during the summer months. Spring tends to be rainy, while autumn tends to be windy. Very little in the way of extremes happen in Karsas, weather-wise. The upper peaks of the Fang Mountains have snow for most of the year, save for a few days in the middle of summer. Terrain Karsas consists mostly of plains, with gentle foothills closer to the Mountains. The terrain is flat and grassy. Natural Resources The majority of Karsas’ resources come from the Fang Mountains, where large deposits of iron and coal supply many mines. Karsas has controlling interest in all mines, but many are operated, at least in part, by parties from Azar and Östergötland. Fishing and pearlhunting are found primarily in Raas Lake, and fishing is found in Lake Gardas. Raas Pearls are highly sought after all over the world due to their unique concentrations of minerals and purity; they range from brilliant white, to pure jet black, and every colour in between. People and Society Nationality Karsite, though Karsian is sometimes used by non-humans Ethnicities Humans make up the majority in Karsas, comprising of approximately 50% of the census population. Elves and dwarves (~20% and ~18%) comprise most of the remainder. The remaining is comprised of various other races, including halflings and gnomes. Religions Most major religions have temples in Karsas City, with Obad-hai and Pelor being the most common outside of the capital. By very careful design, no religion or temple has been chosen as a State Religion, and all councilors are required to vacate any religious positions they held before being elected. These positions are often resumed at the end of their political term. Population Karsas boasts almost two million citizens, the largest by far in the world. Karsas City itself (metropolitan area) contains just over one million (census numbers, last two censuses) Age Structure Government Name Official Name: The Independent Republic of Karsas Colloquial Name: Karsas Abbreviation: IRK Government Type Directly Elected Republic Capital Karsas City Dependent Areas No dependent territories or colonies National Holidays The Hallows: The Hallows is the celebration of the end of the seasons, the harvest, and the dearly departed. Celebrates the coming turn of the year, as well as a celebration of life and death. Temples dedicated to Life and those to Death turn out and work with one another to celebrate the passing of one to the other and back again. Occurs near the end of Autumn Harvest. The Light Festival: The largest festival in Karsas. It officially celebrates the cycle of the sun and the moon and their daily dance with each other through the heavens. Most of the city shuts down during the festival, and a great many lights are strung up through the city. At night, it is sometimes hard to tell that it’s not noon. The night of High Summer is the culmination of the festival. Occurs during High Summer (summer solstice, and three days beforehand) Citizenship Citizenship is granted at a child’s first birthday and grants certain rights and responsibilities. Citizenship cannot be granted by descent; parents are not required to be citizens of Karsas for a child to be granted citizenship. Citizenship can be granted to a non-native on the following conditions: 1) they have resided within Karsas for at least 24 consecutive months (have held legal housing); 2) they have undergone an application process; and 3) have not committed any major offenses against Karsas within the last 24 months. Karsas does not generally grant multiple citizenships, if only because most other countries do not allow multiple citizenships. Suffrage Legally registered adults (varies between species; whatever an individual species decrees is adulthood) with citizenship are required to vote during Council Elections, as long as they have resided within Karsas for the last six months. Non-citizens are not allowed to vote, unless they have been registered as residents and have resided within Karsas for at least 12 consecutive months. Executive Branch Head of State Karsas does not have a single official Head of State, as Karsas is governed by a Council of seven members. The Honoured Elder, the Councilperson who has held their position longest, is the de facto Head of State, though they hold no additional power in this capacity. Roderick Smoothhands is the current Honoured Elder. Head of Government Karsas is ruled by the Council, a group of seven individuals elected directly by the population. Each Councilperson must be a citizen and must be elected in a fair and legal manner during an Election Year. The Council currently consists of Orris Den, a human man, Illium Ferren, an elf woman, Driftcloud Tuvin, an Illumian man, Roderick Smoothhands, a dwarf man, Korri Shimmerroads, a gnome woman, Berra Green, a halfling woman, and Arras, a warforged. Elections Elections are held every three years and are country-wide. All adult citizens are legally mandated to participate in any given election. Elections are one person, one vote, are generally broken up and tabulated by district. One district contains roughly 2500 people. Legislative Branch The Council generally makes up the legislative branch of the government. When the Council is attempting to either change or implement a major law, a committee will be formed from citizens to help the Council make their decision. The Council does the best they can to gather people from as many areas of Karsas as they can, to get the best representation. Flag Description TBD National Symbols TBD National Anthem TBD Economy Overview Karsas’ economy is based on several factors: its local service industries, mining from the Fang Mountains, fishing from Raas Lake and Lake Gardas, pearlhunting from Raas Lake, trade with other nations, agriculture, and engineering. Agriculture Karsas has large stretches of plains, where various grains are grown, including wheats, oats, and hops. Many farmers also raise cattle and other domesticated animals. Industries Karsas maintains mining agreements with Azar and Östergötland. The Karsas City College of Engineering is one of the finest technical colleges in the world, and it does not restrict its teaching to only citizens of Karsas. Labour Force Karsas maintains a large labour force, due to its very large population compared to the rest of the world. Most citizens are gainfully employed, with a small minority subsisting on government assistance. Approximately 65% of Karsas is employed by someone else, 15% are business owners or are self-employed, 15% are students, and 5% of its population is unemployed. __FORCETOC__ Category:Country